Virginia and Truckee Railroad

Virginia and Truckee Railroad

Overview
Headquarters	Virginia City, Nevada
Reporting mark	VT
Locale	Nevada
Dates of operation	1870–1950, 1976–present
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Other
Website	www.virginiatruckee.com Private Portion vtrailway.com Public portion
Nevada Historical Marker
Reference no.	248
Route map Legend Distance Nevada–California–Oregon Railway Reno (Central Pacific Railroad) Truckee River Reno (V&T station) 3.5 mi 5.6 km Andersons 7.1 mi 11.4 km Huffakers 9 mi 14 km Browns 11.4 mi 18.3 km Steamboat Springs 16.7 mi 26.9 km Washoe Valley 21.4 mi 34.4 km Franktown 24 mi 39 km Mill Station 26.5 mi 42.6 km Lake View 28.3 mi 45.5 km Sand Cut 31.1 mi 50.1 km Carson City Shops Minden 33.4 mi 53.8 km Lookout 34.5 mi 55.5 km Empire 35.8 mi 57.6 km Brunswick 36.7 mi 59.1 km Merrimac 39 mi 63 km Eureka 41 mi 66 km Mound House Carson and Colorado Railway 44.3 mi 71.3 km Silver 47.4 mi 76.3 km Seales 50.2 mi 80.8 km Gold Hill Virginia City, Nevada (new station) 52.2 mi 84 km Virginia City, Nevada This diagram: view talk edit

The Virginia and Truckee Railroad (stylized as Virginia & Truckee Railroad) is a privately owned heritage railroad, headquartered in Virginia City, Nevada. Its private and publicly owned route is 14 miles (23 km) long. When first constructed in the 19th century, it was a commercial freight railroad (reporting mark VT) which was originally built to serve the Comstock Lode mining communities of northwestern Nevada.

At its height, the railroad's route ran from Reno south to the state capital at Carson City. In Carson City, the mainline split into two branches. One branch continued south to Minden, while the other branch traveled east to Virginia City. The first section from Virginia City to Carson City was constructed beginning in 1869 to haul ore, lumber and supplies for the Comstock Lode silver mines. The railroad was abandoned in 1950 after years of declining revenue. Much of the track was pulled up and sold, along with the remaining locomotives and cars. In the 1970s, with public interest in historic railroads on the rise, efforts began to rebuild the line. The portion from Virginia City and Gold Hill has been rebuilt by private interests, and is operated separately from a portion from Gold Hill to Mound House, that was rebuilt with public funding and private donations.